Demon Tails
by weasle101
Summary: On a cool October night, there is something they forgot.


**Demon Tails**

"The birds fly into the eclipse of mars,

They're lives tithe me by fives,

To the man beyond those jailed bars."

Every tale starts somewhere. For Naruto, it started on a cool October night. The night of his birth. And it was not a very happy beginning, in a not very happy life. It would seem that ever since that cool October night, when not a tree was still, and the atmosphere was seeming and dreaming evil; that on that night, a hell was born.

The hell called life lived alone.

You see Naruto was born under the gravest of conditions, his mother had already died… and his father was not far behind. A suicide of heroic proportions, his existence would be the lamb for his father's altar. Yet, fate, I think… had greater ideas in its imagination.

Still, it could have been worse. His life could have been in total vain, destroyed at the very start, by the demonic fox rampaging on the October night.

As it was his father, already the most beloved man in all of a sprawling city named Konoha, was defending his precious trees. He was calm cool and collected, like the kindle sparked fire that burns long and deep, yet there was an absolute dread and melancholy drenched upon his face.

He stood outside the gates with his child in his arms, as the demon outside his city, ravaged, lives, nature, and friends…

But still his little child laughed and giggled, oblivious to the danger, only accepting and comforted by the warmth his father provided. Beside himself, the "yellow flash" smiled one last time at his only son.

And then he flashed one last time, outside the very beasts attack range. Its anger was feral and uncontrollable, just its presence itself was sickening, literally, it took all his training, dedication, and will, not to just turn and run puking all the way.

For a second though, time slowed to a stop, the yellow flash, in hours gone by in milliseconds dropped out hand sign after hand sign, and the demon's intelligence shone through. Behind the anger and rage… was fear. 'Good,' The leader of a ninja village thought.

As all Nine of his mighty tails swung down in an effort to save himself, time slowed to a complete stop for those two. A death god appeared, and ripped there souls out painfully slow. Following the contract enacted by the man's hand seals, the God ensealed the Demon inside the Baby's naval.

Time snapped to normal, and by then both body and souls of the Hero and the Demon were gone. Each to his own eternal hell.

And then the man named Jiraya came and saw the child, and rescued him from the fires that were a raising, and the soldiers that had gone crazy. The very second he looked into that child's eyes, his eyes, not quite understanding, but just happy to have someone to look up to, to hold onto… he saw his pupil who just now had given his life away.

It crushed him.

And so Jiraya did what most men do when left with a horrible and terrible responsibility that causes them great pain. He flaked.

First he would take the child to Sarutobi… who undoubtedly would become Hokage once again. His kindness would not forsake this child. He just… god he needed to get laid, and get drunk, and get high, and get wasted… and just, get something and somewhere other than here.

He had never felt more alone in his life, than he did when holding that outrageously joyous baby in his arms, and nothing had ever hurt more.

At least, with his thoughts and sorrows, he buried the screams of the wounded and dying, and the trip felt somewhat quick as he reached the tower of the Hokage.

He jumped through the window, as he always did, and found the secret stash of sake, and set two cups.

He waited for maybe twenty minutes, as Sarutobi walked in, not even surprised that he was waiting.

"The council just approved me, it seems I am once again the 3rd Hokage…" his subdued voice let out.

"I'm leaving," Jiraya said, finding nothing else to say.

At this the 3rd Hokage was surprised although he did not show it heavily. After an awkward pause, the Hokage question, "Why, what do you gain leaving?"

Jiraya… had so many answers, so many excuses, so many reasons, so many lies, but he couldn't lie and he certainly couldn't tell the truth, not when it was like this. So instead he just left the baby on the table, and smiled sadly…

"Take care of the kid, his name is Naruto… and… well his father wanted him to be a hero, so try and do your best to make sure he's taken care of. As far as the seal goes, it looks like a complete success… even with the cost,"

With that he turned his back and was about to leave the window when Sarutobi screamed, "Wait, are you planning to become a traitor like the Snake?"

Jiraya did not turn back but answered sadly at the memory, "No… I'll keep spying, make myself useful that way. See you when I see you, sensei,"

And the man jumped into the night, and would not come into the sun for many years.

Meanwhile the old man, so named Sarutobi, slumped into his chair, and took both sakes in two gulps. "Naruto… what am I going to do with you?"

As it turned out… he would not be doing anything with Naruto, for the council had already made its decision on the matter.

The orphan carrier, in their wisdom stated, would be placed in the shelter for the parentless until such a time as he could care for himself. Upon such time, it went on to say, he would be given a fair monthly allowance to cover his foods and necessities until he reached 18 or became a genin, whichever came first.

But hidden within the document was the single biggest savior and hindrance to Naruto's childhood. Anyone who talked about the Demon as in relation to Naruto, would be put to death.

But… like all things legal, there is always a loophole.

What they didn't discover, what Jiraya himself had failed to notice in his grief, was the second seal on… well, on Naruto's butt. Unlike the Uzumaki on the front, this… was a Demon's tails. Nine of them.

Naruto himself, wouldn't discover them until much later… but by then… by then it would be too late.


End file.
